The Enforcement Directorate on Monday told the Delhi High Court that jeweller Nirav Modi is “indirectly challenging” the money laundering case filed in connection with the Punjab National Bank scam, PTI reported.

Additional Solicitor General Sandeep Sethi told the bench of justices S Muralidhar and IS Mehta that Modi was trying to abuse the process of law by filing a plea through his company, Firestar Diamond International Private Ltd, asking the court to pass interim orders and a stay on further proceedings.

In an affidavit filed through the central government’s counsel, Amit Mahajan, the agency said it would be a “grave miscarriage of justice” will be caused to the inquiry if the court accepts Modi’s application for a stay on proceedings. The Enforcement Directorate also claimed that its investigation showed Firestar Diamond “had committed acts which constitute the offence of money laundering and/ or was in possession of such proceeds of crime”.

The agency called the company’s plea “misconceived and premature”.

On March 8, the Central Bureau of Investigation filed a fresh case against Modi and top officials of Firestar Diamonds for causing losses of another Rs 321 crore to Punjab National Bank. The CBI said the case was registered after the bank filed a new complaint saying the jewellery designer availed different credit facilities between 2013 and 2017, which led to these losses.

Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are accused of cheating the Punjab National Bank of Rs 12,703 crore. Both men left the country in early January, almost a month before the bank revealed the extent of the scam.